DEFEND YOUR RIDE: Peter At Federal Hill Park

“We would take all the little back roads, test out the four-wheel drive.”

“The Subaru was just the all-around economic vehicle.”

“I live on the edge.”

The Ride

The Driver: Peter

Car in Question: 2007 Subaru Forester

Spotted at: Federal Hill Park, 474 Warren Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21230

Car’s Nickname: Mackenzie

THE DEFENSE:

Q: What brings you to Fed Hill today?

A: Another gorgeous day in Baltimore, not so much rain. Makes the city look a little bit cleaner.

Q: What made you pick Mackenzie?

A: I picked Mackenzie because of the four-wheel drive. Subarus last forever. I really wanted a stick shift and I was taking a trip to Canada and I needed a good reliable car to get me up there.

Q: Why do you like a stick shift?

A: Control over the car itself. If you’re ever going up a hill, you can drop your gear and put it back into second or third. If you’re ever in the snow and you wanna give less power to your wheels, so you’re not spinning out, you can put it in a lower gear and take the power away. Also it’s more fun. Who wants to mindlessly turn left and right? It just gets boring.

Q: Where did you get the car from?

A: I got it from Heritage Subaru in Owings Mills. It was a great experience. The dude was really, really nice, let us drive different cars, let us drive as far as we wanted. Very pleasant. Worked with us on the price.

Q: What’s your favorite daytrip from home?

A: I generally go out to Butler, Maryland. It’s out Shawan Road, past Hunt Valley. Horsey country. It makes me feel better about myself. Very flat. But lots of twists and turns. There’s some cool gorges. And I just love horse country.

Q: If your car had a human attribute, what would it be?

A: Chubby. Short, stubby, and tubby.

Q: What’s your absolute dream car?

A: A World War II-era Jeep. Back before they were actually Jeeps, “jeep” stood for general purpose vehicle, GP. And they just look so sweet. They only had three gears, nothing to ‘em except metal. Spray it whenever it gets dirty. Don’t need to worry about looking glamorous. Not to mention it looks great spray-painted gray.

Q: Are you the type of guy who’s going to fix up his own car?

A: No. I know nothing about cars. I can dabble in the little stuff. But I’m that guy that, if my car breaks down, I stand on the side of the road with the hood up for half an hour just to make myself feel better that I don’t know what I’m doing. But then I’ll end up calling AAA immediately after.